3 family size bags in a gallon jar - 3 or 4 hours but fine to leave all day, in winter or cloudy days I use 4 bags - Never leave it out overnight, especially if you like it with sugar cause something about night outside makes it turn nasty.

I drink it instead of water. I keep a glass in the freezer with about an inch of tea in the bottom to make "tea ice"

You can use 9 to 12 regular bags, or ~1/2 cup of loose tea as well it all works and good tea makes better sun tea just like it makes better hot tea.

I have two dedicated plastic pitchers, one gets between 1/2 and 3/4 cup of sugar and the other stays plain. We go through at least 2 gallons a day in summer. Just finished another jar of pickles and one of the dang kids crammed it in the dishwasher and cracked it already! oh when using pickle jars - put a small sandwich bag or something under the lid for a few weeks until you are sure all the pickle smell is gone.

14. I'm sure if you have a compromised immune system or something like that NOTHING is safe

but sunlight through glass can actually sterilize water (although I don't think it penetrates very far - an inch or two) but come on! Don't drag the tea bags though the dirty kitchen sink, and you should be fine. Tea will get nasty tasting long before it gets toxic.

Honestly you can make cold tea with regular tea bags, you don't have to use those ones processed for cold brewing. They do taste alright (I bought some by accident once) much better than instant, but they bug me - I mean what did they do to them?

Using the natural rays of the sun to make tea is fun and popular in the summer. However, using such a method to make tea is highly discouraged. Sun tea is the perfect medium for bacteria to grow. If the sun tea has a thick or syrupy appearance, it may be due to the presence of a ropy bacteria called Alcaligenes viscolactis. Ropy bacteria are commonly found in soil and water.

Several years ago in Ohio and Washington, several people became ill after drinking tainted ice tea. In Washington it was determined that the tea had been made with tap water only heated to 130 degrees Fahrenheit and left to sit at room temperature for more than 24 hours. As a result, the Centers for Disease Control and the National Tea Association recommend the following when making tea.

Brew tea bags at 195 degrees F for three to five minutes.

Brew only enough tea that can be consumed within a few hours.

Never maintain brewed tea for more than eight hours at room temperature. Discard any unused tea after eight hours.

Wash, rinse, and sanitize tea-making equipment regularly.

Instead of making "sun tea," brew tea overnight in the refrigerator as you would in the sun.

Store tea bags in a dark, cool, and dry place away from strong odors and moisture. Do not store in the refrigerator.

Note the folks became sick (not dead or anything) after they left it out for 24 hours and with as much sun tea brewed and very little reported illness, I doubt this is any kind of real concern. I would dispute that it is "the perfect medium" for growth - there are very few nutrients to support bacteria in tea, at least until you add some sugar. The Snopes article mentioned a CDC warning but no link and they have the SUCKIEST search function, I haven't found anything yet.

Caffeinated black tea for a few hours sounds pretty dang safe, and one COULD use bottled or filtered water as well.

20. eh I use recycled pickle jars and the large bags are actually less packaging

but I have used loose tea as well. In the summer I try to avoid heating ANYTHING and boiling water to then chill it seems sort of counterproductive. (although around here the sun gets those jars pretty dang hot!)

Now if you want to talk gimmick, aren't there electric ice tea brewers now? Ronco?

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